The tech tweaks required to conquer Baku

A street track where the dominant characteristic is long straights, Baku is forcing all the Formula 1 teams to adapt their designs in ways unlikely to be seen elsewhere this season

Though ostensibly a street track, the Baku layout is dominated by long straights - which makes this weekend's European Grand Prix a unique headache for Formula 1 teams.

Like most new circuits, it's designed by Hermann Tilke and it bears many of his hallmarks: long straights ending in heavy braking for tight turns. But the pattern also goes in a new direction. While confined by the architecture of Baku, the layout is sometimes tight and twisty but other sections are wide and flat-out.